[Jeffery]

OK. Can someone explain to me, how anyone can consider this a religion of peace when it flat out tells someone convert or die??

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09...ristian-faith/

[Cyncceply]

OK. Can someone explain to me, how anyone can consider this a religion of peace when it flat out tells someone convert or die??

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09...ristian-faith/

It's the government doing it; not the religion. A religion or an ideology can't harm anyone - the people who claim to believe it are the only ones who can do that. But religion is built into most of the laws in the Middle East and not all of them are as strict as Iran.

They actually claimed or were trying to claim that he raped someone and that was the real charge but that didn't last long. But just think about that's how America was before we declared independence from England. It was the church of England or nothing. People were persecuted, hung, etc for just as baseless "crimes" as this. It takes people to stand up before change happens.

[samanthalueus]

OK. Can someone explain to me, how anyone can consider this a religion of peace when it flat out tells someone convert or die??

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09...ristian-faith/

Keep in mind, in a culture such as this, idealogies that are significantly different from the local societal norms can often be perceived as "threats". In some of their minds, this individual, with the backing he might have and the things he symbolizes, are akin to a form of psychological terrorism for those who wish to sustain their status quo. It's exactly why tyranny is actively resisted upon by a people with sufficient conviction to rise to the occasion. The other question that is frequently raised is whether it is our role as an outsider to intervene and try to remove this tyranny from power. It's a good question for which you'll get many different answers.

[RonPeeredob]

And in Iran, where the govt IS religious how can you separate what one side from the other?

[Fellionas]

OK. Can someone explain to me, how anyone can consider this a religion of peace when it flat out tells someone convert or die??

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09...ristian-faith/

Note this paragraph here:

Youcef Nadarkhani, 32, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court has ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

That's actually a little known fact about traditional Islam... they don't give a shit about the religious practices of the "infidels", what pisses them off is apostasy: a Muslim converting to another religion.

So from a legal standpoint in the courtroom - the pastor needs to prove that he was always a Christian, and NEVER a Muslim.

I hope this works out for him... this is all the more reason Iranian Progressives need to get their shit together and fix their country

[GAGNAPPEAPH]

From all i read, he was just born into an islamic family. Does (or imo should) not mean HE was muslim.

[perpelverw]

Naturally, but from what I gather, the prosecution is arguing that he was raised a Muslim, was a practicing Muslim for at least some time, and converted to Christianity later, which would fufill the requirements or apostasy.

[dasneycomrov]

And that to me is a problem. I know not of any other religion that says "convert to another and get executed for apostasy.

[HBPujWBe]

And that to me is a problem. I know not of any other religion that says "convert to another and get executed for apostasy.

Not so much the religion but the religious. And religious people in every religion skew the interpretations of the basic principles of their religion in hateful and violent directions, these people just happen to have complete control of their government.

[lopushok]

Hence why i say its a country calling for it..

[Ayyfjicg]

Hence why i say its a country calling for it..

Then in that instance you'd be correct, it is the government in Iran, which happens to be a theocracy, which is committing the acts. Thus proving why theocracies in government will always be doomed to Tyranny and failure.